I'm booking for a trip to northern Kruger in the new year and thought of spending a night or 2 at Sirheni.My interest is mainly birds and was wondering if anyone has experience of birding in that area. I would imagine the camp itself plus the immediate vicinity would be good due to the huge trees and riverine canopy, but want to know what to expect on drives away from the river. Heading east towards the Punda-Shingwedzi main road, it's miles and miles of mopani shrubveld, and I would imagine, whether birding or looking for game, it's not that good.

I was in Sirheni to and it is a beautiful camp. On the main road between Punda and Shingwedzi, you have a lot open space and I have made a lot of film on the main road of tsessebe, roan, lions, jackal,elephant, buffalo, cheetah and a lot of other game, and bird life is also good up there.Special is the Mphongolo loop [S56] lots of ellies and buffalo's and beautiful for bird spotting, one of my favourite loops.

Last edited by Nico on Sat Nov 26, 2005 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Nico wrote:Special is the Mphongolo loop [S56] lots of ellies and buffalo's and beautiful for bird spotting, one of my favourite loops.

This is probably the most beautiful scenic area to drive in... the Mphongolo loop.. especially the big trees in the surrounding area. We saw a leopard in a tree next to the river waiting for some Waterbuck to pass underneath... but the Waterbuck sensed the presence of the leopard, started to bark and ran away! And because this part of Kruger is so quiet we watched for about 20 minutes without seeing any other vehicles around. The next sign of civilization was when we arrived at Sirheni Bushcamp... my second favourite camp next to Tamboti! Norman Mudau (the Hospitality Manager) made our stay at Sirheni an unforgettable experience.

Sirheni is an awesome camp for birds. I am a firm believer of being out the gates as they open but while at Sirheni I chose to stay in camp the one day and walk around birding and game viewing, very good choice. The camp is on the river and has 2 hides so you can view water birds and as the camp has big trees all around you will see many bush veld birds as well. The amount of game that come down to drink during the day is great and I'm sure you won't miss driving as you are sure to see enough game from the camp.

etienne wrote:My favourite unit at Sirheni is No.15 right at the end next to the fence... very private with a GREAT view of the Sirheni Dam!

Will be there in 38 days

I agree with you Etienne. That is really a nice unit. Very nice view! Maybe you can post some photos

We have always opted for either # 1 or # 2 because in our very personal opinion, that area of the camp tends to be more quiet {we are strange people }. We have also stayed in either unit 9 or 10 – can’t remember.

I have stayed at Sirheni only once and stayed in no. 15. It Was magnificent and we saw plenty. In fact I really loved the camp and must get back. JJumbo, your two pics are definitely from different bungalows because if you look at the tree in front, they are different. No. 2 looks excellent.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about No.15 is that it only has a bath and not a shower...I much prefer to shower especially when not at home....but It was absolutely wonderful. From the patio we saw crocs, hippos, buffalo (feeding right in front of us) Impala, and wonderful birdlife. A memorable sighting of a flock of Open Billed Storks was perched in a dead/bare tree at very close range for hours. I must get back there soon.

"Acts of kindness never die. They linger in the memory, giving lift to other acts in return."Lord Sacks - From Optimism to Hope

francoisd wrote: The comments made on bird life at Sirheni has already started to sway my vote in its direction.

I also saw YELLOW BILLED OXPECKERS on the buffalo who was feeding at the water's edge metres from the fence...It is a well wooded camp, with lots of trees and lots of bushes everywhere. Bird watching from the hides (and cottages) is great because they are situated at the water with large trees, reeds, shallows etc..great habitat variety.

I have not been to Bateleur and would love to. I have no doubt that both camps are great. I can only speak from experience and Sirheni is wonderful. Remember that it is the closest Bush Camp to the Pafuri region which is a big plus if birding is important. It's position on the S56 is excellent. You simply cant go wrong with this camp. (or any place in Kruger)

"Acts of kindness never die. They linger in the memory, giving lift to other acts in return."Lord Sacks - From Optimism to Hope

Albert can you get some more photos of this camp showing units, hides, general camp layout etc please.

I have to decide between Sirheni and Bateleur for our trip next year. The comments made on bird life at Sirheni has already started to sway my vote in its direction.

Hi there

I stayed in both Camps - Sirheni and Bateleur - this past December 2 nights each.
(Was my first visit to Sirheni, have stayed at Bateleur 5 times before.)
The units at Sirheni are superior, to those of Bateleur. Sirheni is from a Birding point - great & the hides are ideal for Waterbirds etc. Birding was superior at Sirheni, but the time of year could make a huge difference.
The Staff at Sirheni win hands down for efficiency and friendliness.
Finally, the tricky intrinsic thing is that it is the overall ambience of the camp that "makes" it for me, and in that regard, i still firmly believe Bateleur wins hands down.
The best thing.... go to BOTH and ENJOY two special camps!

[b]"Some are Guilty, but we are all Responsible"KNP 12 March to 23 March 2016, Malelane / Tamboti) KNP 16 May to 22 May 2016, Croc Bridge/ Biyamiti/ PKop)

francoisd, from a birding point Sirheni is by far better. The amount of well established big trees in camp and the way the camp is laid out makes for great birding. You then have the river with the two hides. I do love Bateleur but my vote goes for Sirheni

The hide is between numbers 12 and 13, all the units are facing the river as Snoobab said, I personally like the six bedded units numbers 2 or 9 but they are all nice.
Will check them all again in November Have a great trip.